Month: July 2017

Genesis 43-44 – A Change of Heart

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In Genesis chapters 43-44, Joseph’s brothers still don’t recognize him, and Joseph continues to test them to see if they have changed. His brothers eventually come back to Egypt for more food, and this time they bring their younger brother Benjamin, as Joseph had demanded. When they do, Joseph threatens to take Benjamin captive in Egypt.
It’s as if Joseph is trying to punish them for selling him into slavery as a youth.
When Joseph threatens to keep their younger brother, Judah is willing to trade his life for Benjamin’s…to spare Benjamin from slavery and to spare their father from heartbreak. There was a time when Judah and his brothers didn’t care about Joseph’s life or the heartbreak of his father Jacob, but they have had a change of heart.
What looked like Joseph trying to make their lives difficult was actually Joseph trying to prove they had changed and were no longer the uncaring brothers who treated him with such selfishness and callous disregard when he was younger.
Much like the actions of Joseph with his brothers, God uses the events and circumstances of our lives for the purpose of changing our hearts. They are His instruments of heart surgery, to get us to a place where we are willing to lay down our life for the sake of God and others.
Are we willing to sacrifice our lives for another? Are we motivated to do everything we can to protect the Heavenly Father from the heartbreak of losing another child?
I don’t know about you, but if I’m honest with myself, I would have to say my heart needs more changing. I need to be more willing to sacrifice for my Heavenly Father and for others…just like Judah…just like Jesus.

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

When You’re Not Getting What You Want in Marriage

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As a pastoral counselor, I’m expected to draw on Scripture and good clinical practices in order to help couples improve their marriage. But the truth is, you can find great nuggets of marital wisdom in a variety of places. The other day, I found one of those nuggets of marital wisdom on my iTunes playlist.

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Genesis 42 – Busted!

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In Genesis chapter 42, There’s a great famine throughout the land. Joseph had wisely stored up food for just such a time, and Pharaoh puts him in charge of food distribution. So, when Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy food, they come face to face with Joseph, the brother they had sold into slavery.
Though they don’t recognize Joseph, he recognizes them and puts them through a series of tests to see if they have changed. Joseph insists one of them remain in Egypt as collateral until the others returned with their younger brother. They nervously agree and return home with food supplies. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had returned their money to their bags to be discovered when they returned home.
Once home, they find the money and began to panic. They tell their father Jacob what the Egyptian ruler had demanded. Jacob is sure this was some kind of trick to take all of his sons captive and refuses to let them return. Feeling the weight of their guilt, the brothers begin to wonder if God is punishing them for what they did to their brother Joseph so long ago.
Scripture tells us that our sin will catch up with us, (Num. 32:23). It shouldn’t amaze us that God will convict us of our sin, in order to turn us from our sin and restore us to Himself. (2 Cor. 7:10)
God wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the sin of Joseph’s brothers, and He won’t turn a blind eye to our sin. But as we see in the next two chapters, God’s goal is not to turn away from us, but to turn us back to Himself.
Is there a sin in your life God wants you to face and deal with? Turn to Him and face that sin, so that He can restore you to Himself.

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 41 – A Surprise Ending

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Up to this point, Joseph has been wrongly treated and often forgotten. But by the end of Genesis chapter 41, there’s a surprise ending. Pharaoh frees Joseph from prison and makes him the second in command of Egypt. The father’s favorite son, though sorely mistreated, now sits in the seat of majesty and authority.
How did this happen? It happened because through all the hurtful circumstance, Joseph maintained his faith and integrity.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Gal. 6:9 NLT)
The story of Joseph has all the elements of a good story, but it’s more than just a good story. Joseph’s life serves as a preview of the life of Jesus. Though innocent, Jesus was sold and abandoned by his own disciples. He was made to suffer separation from His Father, and because of His reverent submission (Heb. 5:7) and His obedient servant’s heart (Phil. 2:6-8), Jesus was exalted to a place of honor and authority. (Phil. 2:9-11)
The life of Joseph also serves as a lesson to us, reminding us that:
  • We are to have the same attitude as Jesus and Joseph. (Phil. 2:5)
  • No matter the circumstance, we’re to do what’s right and good. (Galatians 6:9)
  • We’re to glorify God by completely trusting Him in all circumstances. (Rom. 8:28)
This is the way to know the strength and power of Christ, and experience a surprise ending to your story.
When times get tough, does your life demonstrate this kind of humility, trust, and service?

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Why So Serious?

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I recently took part in a funeral for a lady in our church who died at the age of ninety-three. Living to the age of ninety-three is remarkable in and of itself, but what was even more remarkable was that she and her husband (who is ninety-four years old) had been married for seventy-two years! As a marriage counselor, that makes these two my heroes!

What is it that helps a marriage stay together for seventy-two years?

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